Last season, Mike Harris played well in training camp and the preseason games but was a late cut. He went to China and returned late in the season, playing well enough that the Rockets signed him to a partially guaranteed contract when Carl Landry was sidelined.

Mike Harris cut hard through the lane, took a pass to the rim and into a crowd of far taller defenders. He missed his drive, but he went up again, outfought a crowd for the rebound, went back up and scored.

"Way to muscle," Rockets rookie Joey Dorsey, a player more suited for such moves, called out.

But Harris spent last summer and much of his regular-season stint with the Rockets finding some way to score at the rim. The Rockets have seen that.

Minutes later during the Rockets' morning practice Friday, Harris did something decidedly less impressive but perhaps more important. The former Rice University star turned at the elbow and sank a simple, unadorned jump shot.

As ordinary as that looked, it was the sort of thing Harris will hope to add to his game as he tries to nail down a spot on the Rockets' roster, knowing that the more he can do away from his surprising ability around the rim the more he can improve his chances.

Open to change

A player who has gone from starring in Las Vegas at the NBA Summer League last season to being the LeBron of Guangdong, China, and back again is looking to make one more important change.

"We all discussed it; they wanted me to play three (small forward), to be able to guard (shooting guards) and things like that," Harris said. "This whole summer, I've only been working on the three and two positions.

"The coaches told me after the season the things I have to work on, slimming down, ball-handling, a lot of shooting. Play multiple positions, guarding twos and threes. The whole time I've been here, this whole summer, has been important.

"I decided with the coaches to lose a little, make me lighter, more agile, a little quicker to guard smaller guys. I've been working on that a lot, on speed and agility."

Once in Las Vegas, Harris, 25, will often be back at the power forward spot. But if he can develop more variety in his game, he can be more useful to the Rockets and help his chances of making the regular-season roster.

Last season, he played well in training camp and the preseason games but was a late cut. He went to China and returned late in the season, playing well enough that the Rockets signed him to a partially guaranteed contract when Carl Landry was sidelined.

The Rockets have an overcrowded roster, but Harris' participation in offseason workouts and Summer League could go a long way toward him earning a role with the regular-season team, particularly if he broadens his game.

"He's shown the ability to post up threes," Rockets assistant coach Elston Turner said. "Last season, we strictly had him at four with bigger guys on him. We're trying to get him to the point where he can take fours outside and when he is at the three, use him inside against guys that are not as strong. I think his positions are in multiple positions, a three-four, a four-three."

A hard worker

Harris has earned praise for his work ethic, with Turner saying he "lives" on the Toyota Center practice court. That has allowed him to trim 12 pounds from his solid, 6-6, 240-pound frame.

But Turner said he cannot tell how all this work will change Harris' game until they play in Las Vegas, beginning Monday against the Phoenix Suns.

"He is the one guy that has been in this arena practicing more than anyone," Turner said. "He is not afraid to work, and he's going to get better.

"I think he's solid. His advantage is he knows what we're doing.

"It's still too early to tell. Once we start playing games in Las Vegas, I can get a better read. He is certainly fun to coach. He's 'yes sir, no sir.' He does everything we ask him to."